Weekend Photo Fun New Year 2021 Edition.

Last week, I posted a bunch of photos of my model of the city of Altoona which I had just completed aside from some minor details. I got quite a few nice comments about the post, so thanks to those who commented. I liked RJT’s comment about “Where is the Boyer Candy Factory Outlet?” I’ve been there many times and bought lots of candy there, but it honestly never occurred to me to include it.

Just to wrap it up, this week I figured I’d post some of those minor details that I referred to. First order of business was to do something about those mirror like chrome wheels on the REA truck. My recollection was that REA trucks had red wheels, which I confirmed with a quick search on the internet. So the first picture shows the truck as it looked right out of the box (just check out the reflection on the pavement from those shiny chrome wheels!) and the second shows basically the same view but now with the repainted and weathered truck.  You can also see that I got the building lights hooked up. The last three images show the work on the truck in progress.

The next image shows more of the lights finally hooked up and working. These are on the model of the Eight Avenue Bridge and that is followed by an image that I particularly like of the bridge from below. An Atlas Erie Built passes underneath the bridge.

Now here’s the General Signal Corporation structure again, but you can see that I added some window replacement panels so commonly seen in buildings such as this. They are nothing more than bond paper painted in two shades of gray, cut to size using a grid, then glued in place.

Next I started putting the trains back in the yard. I had to empty it out to improve my access the warehouse district during its construction. The trains were pulled out of the yard and parked out on the mainline for a few months, and I wasn’t able to run trains during that time. The next image shows a recently released Lionel B6 large tender switcher pulling into the yard.

Finally, the last picture is the other end of Altoona (the engine servicing area) which was actually finished about a year ago. I was just screwing around with the camera while I put trains back into place, and just thought this shot of two M1-s (classic engines of PRR’s Middle Division) heading into and out of the roundhouse was pretty cool.

Well, I’d say that’s about it for Altoona construction photos which I’ve been posting for a few months. I’ll come up with something different for next time.

Happy New Year!

@scott.smith posted:

Weekend Photo Fun New Year Edition.

One last run for 2020 Tuesday night.

Great mountain, reminds me of the one in Close Encounters of a Third Kind.

I have one like that too:

LOL, Arnold

Happy & Healthy New Year Everyone!!!  I thought I'd begin the new year with a fun photo focus on the Western Maryland Railway.   Be safe = Be well!

Number 729 takes on water.  

BL2 idling on a siding as boy on bike looks on.

729 on the engine service track getting ready to fill the  sand dome.

729 at the tank.  Mr. Bo keeps an eye on the action.

BL2 leads a freight through Butler Junction.

Center cab switcher spots passenger cars at the station.

BL2 with brakeman riding the front deck is on a switching assignment.

WM coach at the passenger station.

WM switch tower.  It takes some strength to pull those levers.  The locals congregate at the base of the tower as a steam locomotive trundles by.

                                                   EARLY TIMES #1901

I went downstairs last night about an hour before midnight and ran this train for a few minutes. I’m thankful to have my trains and layouts to take my mind off what went on during 2020.

MELGAR

My final memory of my 2019 Christmas Layout.  Kind of a sad one.

= walt

@MELGAR posted:

I went downstairs last night about an hour before midnight and ran this train for a few minutes. I’m thankful to have my trains and layouts to take my mind off what went on during 2020.

MELGAR

I second the motion!

@walt rapp posted:

My final memory of my 2019 Christmas Layout.  Kind of a sad one.

= walt

Hey Walt - don't be sad.  You now have a blank canvas for next year's layout.  Plus you have an entire year to imagine how the 2021 layout will be.  :-)  

@Arnold D. Cribari posted:

Great mountain, reminds me of the one in Close Encounters of a Third Kind.

I have one like that too:

LOL, Arnold

Arnold would that be the mash potato mountain, the clay, the water color or the concrete mountain from Close Encounters?

Into the New Year.

My first photos of the year. PE #1225 waiting for the passengers to board for the last trip to the North Pole until next year.

Finally, my early Christmas present to myself. The full consist of the Bush Funeral Train.

The G&O crew has a long tradition of running trains on New Year's Day.  Of course, we aren't able to do it this year.  Here are some photos from a year ago today.  The G&O crew wishes everyone a Happy & Healthy 2021.

NH Joe

The G&O Crew left to right:  Mark, Gino, Lawrence, Nancy, Glen, Jacques and Paul.  Not shown, NH Joe, behind the camera.

This is a brass Williams GS-4 that has been converted to TMCC.  It is shown at Coupler Curve.

The same engine at Fireside.

The same train at Norris Falls.  Yes, the water in Norris Falls is real.  (Visitors always ask the G&O crew if the water and plants are real for some reason.)

The two SP GPs are old Lionel G gauge engines that have been converted to battery power and are controlled by the Crest system.  They have full sound.

This is Mark's proud grandparents train.   The engine is a UP Western Pacific Heritage SD70ace by Lionel.

The proud grandfather train again.  Mark is in the background.

What more can be said?  One boy and 3 girls!

Happy 2021 to All from the SF Bay Area!

Happy Weekend To Everyone.

Day 1 of retirement.....the fun begins!!!!!

This was my 1st major modern era purchase in 1983......

Peter

To start off my retirement, my wife and children presented this with this beauty......

Unfortunately, it is in possession of Fed Ex on the its way back to Lionel.....Legacy board failure out of the box.....

Peter

It's ten days before Christmas, 1951, and brand-new Fairbanks-Morse H16-44 2807 is assigned to the Third District Local.  Engineer Karl Krauss is getting the train out of Caprock, Texas.  The crew will tie up at Brownwood this evening, and go on duty to return to Caprock at 6:00 A.M., which, at this time of year, is before dawn.  The crew is planning to skip going to beans on the return leg and make it a dash day, so that they can take their families to Lubbock for Christmas shopping.  

2-8-2 3222 is waiting for the local to depart, so that the hostlers can finish turning it on the wye.

The new Fairbanks-Morse diesel will be renumbered 2807 within a year, as Santa Fe ordered these locomotives prior to the increasing orders for GP7's, and these ten locomotives are now "in the way" of the advancing sequential numbering scheme for the geeps.

Melgar, our trains are definitely therapeutic. Nice post.

@Putnam Division posted:

To start off my retirement, my wife and children presented this with this beauty......

Unfortunately, it is in possession of Fed Ex on the its way back to Lionel.....Legacy board failure out of the box.....

Peter

Peter,

You will enjoy it when it comes back. Be careful not to lift it by the front staircases. The mounting to the pilot is fragile.

MELGAR

@Putnam Division posted:

To start off my retirement, my wife and children presented this with this beauty......

Unfortunately, it is in possession of Fed Ex on the its way back to Lionel.....Legacy board failure out of the box.....

Peter

Sorry that your NYC engine was DOA. I have to agree with MELGAR... I also have one and love it (mine leads a nice, short Harlem Line commuter train).

Northbound and a final run-by for Santa and the Reindeer until next Christmas...🚂🎅🏻😉🙀

The new Atlas O Trainman Chicago & Great Western/Chicago & North Western PS-2 3-bay covered hoppers and the MTH Premier Chicago & North Western PS-2CD high-sided 3-bay covered hoppers.

Andrew

Falcon Service

Some pictures from the Modular Layout from earlier this week.....

Peter

@trumpettrain posted:

Hey Walt - don't be sad.  You now have a blank canvas for next year's layout.  Plus you have an entire year to imagine how the 2021 layout will be.  :-)  

just clarifying: that picture was taken at the end of my 2019 layout, so it did give me  a clean slate for my 2020 layout.

thanks for the positive thought reminder!!

walt

@Apples55 posted:

Sorry that your NYC engine was DOA. I have to agree with MELGAR... I also have one and love it (mine leads a nice, short Harlem Line commuter train).

I had a problem with mine too.  When I opened the box, one of the wheels was off the front truck (not sure how that happened) and it had broken the front staircase was broken off the engine.  Rather than sending it back, I pressed the wheel back on and glued the front staircase back on.  It works fine now. 

Peter, congratulations on your retirement! Best of luck for a long, happy and healthy retirement!

The boys up on the mountain district wired back downhill that the pass was snow bound and it looks like no trains will be getting through.  But not to worry,  the express has a schedule to make,  so a CNW snow plow was coupled to the front of the big Bipolar and with a Polar Express Diner in the lead followed by 7 lightweights,  they're heading out of town to keep running.

Happy New Year to you all and may you find clear tracks ahead.

new bridge and a great little 4 axle Santa Fe, Tolkien artwork from long ago....

Supposed to snow tomorrow so giving the snowbirds one last run,maybe.

A little Marx action......

Well, I head back to college in another two weeks, so it is time to record enough videos to upload twice weekly on my YouTube channel. Here is a shot of my Railking LIRR K4 hauling some MTH Strasburg woodsided passenger cars. I am really hoping for some Legacy Strasburg stuff in the near future but, for now, the K4 will do.

Happy New Year everyone, this one sure started the year off on a positive note.  Great pics guys, I loved them, Melgar, I sure wish I had your layout so I could run my trains whenever I wanted, I'll probably go to the Baggage Car and run some trains for a couple of hours tomorrow, at least I'm planning on it anyway.  Neal, great set of pics this time also, I'd really like to see your layout in person, it is really a great looking layout, thanks for sharing with us.  Pat, you always have a some wonderful pics and stories to tell about your layout.  It seems to be very nicely done also.  Lets not forget Peter guys, a very hardy congratulations on your retirement.  I hope you enjoy it and that you stay safe and healthy to let you enjoy it.  I retired a year and a half ago, I wasn't ready but I did, its been nice but now I'm seriously thinking of going back to work.  I too have one of the little 4-6-6T by Lionel and I love it.  I was lucky, everything was fine and it ran well out of the box.  I will probably take it with me to the BC tomorrow and give it some more exercise. you will really like this engine when you get it back from Lionel.

I wish and hope for everyone to have a safe and healthy coming year.

Happy New Year to everyone.  Enjoying my Lionel Legacy Christmas present.

                                                   NYC #1903...

@RJ I posted:

Well, I head back to college in another two weeks, so it is time to record enough videos to upload twice weekly on my YouTube channel. Here is a shot of my Railking LIRR K4 hauling some MTH Strasburg woodsided passenger cars. I am really hoping for some Legacy Strasburg stuff in the near future but, for now, the K4 will do.

Nice work on the station signs, spot on MTA.

@coach joe posted:

Nice work on the station signs, spot on MTA.

Thank you! I went to my local LIRR station, took pictures of the signs, and sized them to O Scale.

The new LIONEL O scale UNION PACIFIC FRUIT EXPRESS 57' mechanical refrigerator car.

Andrew

Falcon Service